GMTCS opens Almond Beach centre
By Mark Ramotar
Guyana Chronicle
January 18, 2004
THE Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS), with technical and financial assistance from Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on Thursday last formally opened its Field Administration Centre at Almond Beach in the North West District in Region One (Barima/Waini).
The establishment of this Centre on that remote Atlantic Ocean Beach near the Venezuelan border on the northern coast of South America, epitomises the tremendous will and commitment by the GMTCS in its laudable efforts aimed at preventing turtle mortality and promoting turtle conservation.
Almond Beach is one of nine beaches, which together span an area of 100 square miles that runs from Waini Point to the mouth of the Pomeroon River on Guyana's North shore. That entire area is referred to as Shell Beach, and is one of five areas in Guyana that have been chosen for National Protected Area status, due to their unique and rich biological diversity.
Four of the world's marine turtle species - the Leatherback, Green, Olive Ridley and Hawksbill turtles - nest in the Shell Beach area, a rare occurrence in that most other nesting beaches in the world have only one or two species. Previously, nesting seasons brought large numbers of turtles ashore to lay their eggs and both the turtles and their eggs attracted hunters, many of whom raided the nests for eggs and slaughtered the turtles for meat. The eggs were either consumed as delicacies or sold for income.
The Field Administrative Centre will serve as a base for operations of GMTCS Wardens especially during the turtle nesting season activities during the months of March to August. The facility will also provide accommodation to visiting GMTCS staff, researchers, students and volunteers. The lower flat of the two-storey building will serve as a classroom for training activities and workshops and as a meeting place for the handful of residents scattered along Shell Beach.
Fauna and Flora International, which has been working with GMTCS over the past 18 months, donated some $3.1M (10,000 pounds sterling) to the body to assist in the construction of the centre. FFI's In-Country Officer and Technical Director of GMTCS, Mr. Shyam Nokta, in his remarks at the opening of the Centre, noted that FFI has conducted a number of training workshops as part of the Darwin Initiative Project. Among the workshops were those which focused on project administration, proposal writing, community consultations, protected areas management and developing education and awareness strategy for protected areas.
According to Nokta, FFI is working in Guyana to build capacity at the institutional level within two key institutions which have been working in protected areas - the central level with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and at the Site Level (Shell Beach).
"The way the turtle conservation work has grown, especially in the last five years here at Shell Beach from the time when it was just a small group of people working with Dr. Peter Pritchard, and coming down just a few months, it has now grown to a larger team of people who have mobilised themselves into a six-month period of work and one of the challenges they have faced ... was having a centre from which they can base their activities," Nokta said.
He, however, indicated that the Centre must not only been seen as a place where the work of the GMTCS is coordinated, but also as a place where useful information can be provided and made available to the residents so that they can better understand the work of GMTCS and the wardens and also to become more aware of the turtle conservation efforts in the area. In so doing, they would "help the wardens to achieve that objective of preventing turtle mortality and ensuring that Shell Beach remains that special place where we can continue to see the four endangered species of marine turtles coming here to nest."
Noting that Shell Beach is constantly growing and developing, Nokta made reference to the construction of a Health Hut and a Primary School in Almond Beach within the last few years. He expressed optimism that many more infrastructural development works will take place in the area in the future.
"What we have observed over the last few years within the area is a number of development activities...and this latest addition (the Field Administration Centre) will be used from a number of different activities," Nokta said.
"This will be a multiple use facility, and while it is the property of GMTCS, it is also one that belongs to the entire community," he posited. "This facility will be for the benefit of all of the residents of Almond beach and I want to urge you to ensure that it is maintained and it is secured and protected," Nokta told the residents.
"It is a very sturdy building and the craftsmanship and the handiwork is very good," he said. "I would want to urge that we all work towards making use of the facility and also in helping to maintain and to protect this Field Centre. I hope that we can see in the near future, more and more infrastructural development here because Shell Beach is a very special place," he contended.
Nokta also lauded the Regional Chairman of Region One, Mr. Norman Whittaker, for playing a pivotal role in the development process taking place at Shell Beach.
Whittaker, in his remarks at the opening, gave a brief background into the genesis of certain specific development activities which took place in the Shell Beach area in recent times and of which his regional administration played an important part.
"Although this is a small community, remote in a sense, it is growing and it is moving forward. It is truly amazing when you see the kind of enthusiasm and will power displayed by the people living here and there was evidence that the people wanted to remain and to build a community and so we started to evolve..." Whittaker asserted.
Remarks were also made by GMTCS Head Warden, Mr. Romeo De Freitas and CDC Chairman in the area, Mr. Arnold Benjamin.
On behalf of the people...
The Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS) has recognised the tremendous contributions made by Chairman of Region One Mr. Norman Whittaker in assisting the organisation with its turtle conservation project at Shell Beach.
Whittaker, received a plaque on behalf of the people of Almond Beach from Technical Director of the GMTCS, Mr. Shyam Nokta, and promised that he will continue to assist in the turtle conservation project in Region One in whatever way possible.
Nokta lauded the Regional Chairman for his commitment to turtle conservation and for playing a lead role in guiding the people in that area with regards to conservation. The presentation took place on Thursday during the formal opening of the GMTCS Field Administration Centre at Almond Beach.